Observe the early adopter in it's natural habitat
That's what CNET and CEA did. If you're reading this blog, you probably fall into that category.
(Hi, I'm Richard, and I have a problem with buying newly-launched consumer electronics. Admission is the first step towards getting new stuff, or something like that)
The thing is, no matter how far ahead of the curve you are, CEA's members want to be ahead of you, because they make and sell the products that you are apparently hiding out in Best Buy aisles waiting for.
The research didn't find out anything my bank statement probably couldn't tell you, early adopters spent on average $2400 last year on consumer electronics (2x the national average), 99% research products on the internet, surprisingly three-quarters shop at big-box stores. As much as we probably shop online, there are certain things you want to see in person, plus they often have great deals if you watch the ads.
Not surprisingly, almost all of their homes centered on HDTV's and home networks.
So uh, see you guys waiting in line for the Xbox 360 launch? If one of you gets tranq'd and tagged by a researcher I'll save your spot, honest.
